Windsor Castle

1. Windsor Castle

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2.

Windsor Castle is a royal residence at
Windsor in the English county of Berkshire.
The original castle was built in the 11th
century after the Norman invasion of
England by William the Conqueror. Since
the time of Henry I, it has been used by the
reigning monarch and is the longestoccupied palace in Europe. The castle's
lavish early 19th-century State Apartments
were described by the art historian Hugh
Roberts as "a superb and unrivalled
sequence of rooms widely regarded as the
finest and most complete expression of
later Georgian taste"
William the Conqueror.
1027 (28)- 1087

3. Originally designed to protect Norman dominance around the outskirts of London and oversee a strategically important part of

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4. Henry III built a luxurious royal palace within the castle during the middle of the century, and Edward III went further,

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King Henry III
King Henry VIII

5. Architecture

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Windsor Castle occupies 13 acres (5.3 ha), and combines the features of a
fortification, a palace, and a small town.The present-day castle was created during
a sequence of phased building projects, culminating in the reconstruction work
after a fire in 1992. It is in essence a Georgian and Victorian design based on a
medieval structure, with Gothic features reinvented in a modern style. Since the
14th century, architecture at the castle has attempted to produce a contemporary
reinterpretation of older fashions and traditions, repeatedly imitating outmoded or
even antiquated styles. As a result, architect Sir William Whitfield has pointed to
Windsor Castle's architecture as having "a certain fictive quality", the Picturesque
and Gothic design generating "a sense that a theatrical performance is being put on
here", despite late 20th century efforts to expose more of the older structures to
increase the sense of authenticity. Although there has been some criticism, the
castle's architecture and history lends it a "place amongst the greatest European
palaces".
Plan of Windsor Castle.
Key: A: The Round Tower,
B: The Upper Ward, The
Quadrangle,
C: The State Apartments,
D: Private Apartments,
E: South Wing,
F: Lower Ward,
G: St George's Chapel,
H: Horseshoe Cloister,
K: King Henry VIII Gate,
L: The Long Walk,
M: Norman Gate,
N: North Terrace,
O: Edward III Tower,
T: The Curfew Tower

6. Middle Ward

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At the heart of Windsor Castle is the Middle Ward, a
bailey formed around the motte or artificial hill in the
centre of the ward

7. Upper Ward

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The Upper Ward of Windsor Castle comprises a number
of major buildings enclosed by the upper bailey wall,
forming a central quadrangle.

8. State Apartments

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The State Apartments form the major part of the Upper Ward and lie along the north side of the quadrangle. The
modern building follows the medieval foundations laid down by Edward III, with the ground floor comprising service
chambers and cellars, and the much grander first floor forming the main part of the palace. On the first floor, the
layout of the western end of the State Apartments is primarily the work of architect Hugh May

9. Lower Ward

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The Lower Ward lies below and to the west of the Round
Tower. On the north side of the Lower Ward is St George's
Chapel. This huge building is the spiritual home of the Order
of the Knights of the Garter and dates from the late 15th and
early 16th century, designed in the Perpendicular Gothic style
The Horseshoe Cloister, built in
1480 and reconstructed in the 19th
century

10. Park and landscape

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Windsor Castle's position on top of steep ground has meant
that the castle's gardens are limited in scale. The castle
gardens stretch east from the Upper Ward across a 19thcentury terrace.Windsor Castle is surrounded by extensive
parkland.

11. 21st century

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Windsor Castle, part of the Occupied Royal Palaces Estate, is
owned by Queen Elizabeth II in right of the Crown, and dayto-day management is by the Royal Household.In terms of
population, Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in
the world and the longest-occupied palace in Europe, but it
also remains a functioning royal home.

12. Excursions

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Excursions are held in a group format, with a specific visit
period, at which time the monarchs are not present at the
residence of the family. All travelers, unfortunately, will be
prohibited from taking photographs when the path will run
through the royal state apartments, but Windsor Castle will
remain in the hearts of all its visitors, thanks to the possibility of
panoramic shooting of this legendary place.

13.

Individual
Group (15 +)
Name
adult
Windsor
Castle
£20
prefer
ential
children's
£18.2
0
(5-17)
£11.70
(до 5)
беспл.
adult
£18
preferen
tial
children's
£16.40
(5-17)
£10.50
(до 5)
беспл.